Children of Lightning
by PhoenixCycle
Summary: A series of oneshots chronicling the relationship between Thalia and Jason. Siblings always stick together, right?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Happiness

Thalia Grace was, even at the tender age of seven, not the kind of girl was exceptionally happy all the time. However, for the past few months, she had been. Her mother had been happy, her father was around, and she had a new brother along the way. Her mother didn't drink that often anymore, and she no longer yelled so much at her. So when her father called to tell her that her mother was having her brother and picked her up to go to the hospital, she was over the moon.

In a fit of excitement, she raced out the car, opening the door before the car had stopped and Zeus had gotten out. "You should wait," her dad scolded, holding her back. Ever since he'd gotten back, he'd been so different then what she'd remembered from the sparse moments with him. He acted too formal, randomly spoke Latin, and he'd even changed his name.

"Name?" the receptionist asked monotonously. "Jupiter," her dad responded, holding tight to her arm, "Yes, like the Roman god," he said tiredly when the woman raised an eyebrow. Thalia was confused enough and annoyed by the name switches- "Dad, you said your name was-" His hand clamped over her mouth before she could continue, unseen by the receptionist due to the large stack of paperwork in front of her. "Thank you," he nodded before firmly guiding her to the room where she would meet her new brother while Thalia idly wondered how anyone could stand to sit down and write for so long.

But not before he dragged her aside to talk. "Listen Thalia- do not use that name around me," he said, "It makes me act...differently, and people will think we're strange. Not many people have my name, you know." It was not a scolding or even a request by her parent- it was an order. She held her tongue against a snappy remark- _People already think we're strange, _Dad_. _

After all, her mother was a movie star, a celebrity that was always kept tabs on by the media, and no one ever saw her father. Who was Thalia Grace's dad? It was a huge mystery, an unsolvable one, because her father, Jupiter or Zeus or whatever other names he had, disappeared quite easily. No one was ever able to take a photo or even remember him. It was like he was lost in memory. Even tomorrow, that receptionist wouldn't even recall anything about a man named Jupiter. That slot on the sign-in sheet would be empty and she would think she made some sort of mistake.

But now was the time to meet her new brother, something she'd been waiting for, the tabloids had been waiting for, for five months. She remembered that there had been a media craze over her own birth and her brother would probably draw even more- her mom still kept the cuttings of the tabloids hanging up in her room. In fact, her room was a collage of tabloids filled with pictures of her mother, posted by the actress as she looked for another thing to catch even more attention. A baby would only multiply the picture-seekers. And she supposed that's what her mother wanted- she needed to top each stunt with a new one for attention. Thalia could only hope that her brother wouldn't be nearly as needy for attention- perhaps he would be like her instead.

But meeting him was like a bolt of lightning- and she would know- her dad made it thunder outside often enough for her mom. He had blond hair, and was tiny, and looked so breakable, an innocence she never could have imagined coming from her mother's genes. The only physical feature he had in common with her was their sky-blue eyes, now widened in interest with him and wonder in hers. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to tell that they were siblings.

"What's his name?" she asked, completely in awe of this tiny creature in her mother's arms. "Jason," her mother said, with a dash of annoyance as she said the name. She sent a glare to Jupiter that she thought Thalia couldn't see. But she could. _What's wrong with the name Jason?_ She thought, but was wise enough not to say it aloud. She knew well enough by now not to get into the middle of her parents' fights and petty arguments. Her father squirmed a little under her gaze, not making eye contact, but continued to look down at his son.

"Dormire bene, fili mi*," her father said, patting his son's forehead before turning to leave the room. Thalia fought the urge to roll her eyes. There it was again, the seemingly random Latin phrases that neither she or her mother could understand, but her mother loved to hear. Perhaps she thought it was awfully smart of him, or maybe she just liked the sound of it. But Thalia liked it better when he used to speak Greek, back when she was a baby, before he left for the first time. It sounded friendlier to her ears.

"Hi, Jason," Thalia said as soon as her father left, softly, trying to distract herself from the obvious tension between her parents. "I'm your big sister, Thalia. I'll protect you from the bad guys." Jason smiled, though maybe it was just gas. Who knew with babies, anyway?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Staplers

Thalia wandered around her kitchen, looking for something to make for her brother. At the age of two, he was awfully hungry, and she knew that her mother couldn't care less about feeding him now. Jupiter had left just a month ago after sporadically visiting them for the last two years, and _Mother _had not taken it well- _It's been a month, _Thalia thought, _get over it_. She swore she would never get so hung up over a boy.

Before he had left, there had been multiple fights, mostly about the name Jason and Zeus' wife, Hera. Thalia had finally figured out exactly what the entire situation meant. Her mother knew, but probably didn't care enough to tell her. But Zeus, the _Greek god_, was her father, and he had given her all sorts of powers. That was pretty cool. But monsters kept following her- and Jason too, which concerned her more. She kept seeing things stalk her, things that her mother couldn't see.

At least, when he left for the last time, her father had given her weapon. A Mace can, that expanded into a spear. With the stalking starting to increase, she now carried it everywhere she went. She had to protect her little brother.

However, as she later found out, she couldn't protect him from everything. While she had been looking for a jar of peanut butter to use in a sandwich, she heard a loud wail from the room that Jason had been in. "Jason!" Abandoning her search, she raced back to the room, hand reaching for her pocket, where the can was safely hidden. She had already reached the height of paranoia for a nine-year-old. Her mind's eye was filled with visions of monsters, creeping on her innocent little brother, or maybe slowly torturing him until his toddler body couldn't handle it any more...

Spurred on by her morbid thoughts, she sprinted even faster through the hallways. _Why did Mom have to get such a big house, _she complained inwardly, _It's only the three of us._

When she reached the room, she was relieved to see that there were no monsters preying on her little brother. However, she was horrified to observe blood dripping down from his mouth, as if he were a vampire. He was crying loudly- and in his hand was a stapler, also dripping with blood.

"Jason, did you try to eat that thing?" Thalia asked incredulously. He nodded vigorously, the metal hanging precariously from his upper lip. "Why?" she asked, sitting down next to him and trying to pluck the staple out of his skin. "Was hungry," he said in his childish way, tears welling in his eyes and slowly dripping down his cheeks. "You don't eat staplers," she said, relieved that he could at least talk. She rolled her eyes. Does everything look like food to little kids?

"Why?" Jason asked, seeming to be genuinely confused. "Because it's made of metal," she said, "Why?" he asked again, which annoyed her yet endeared him to her at the same time. "It'll cut you up," she answered, "and it hurts. So don't do it." Like all kids, Jason was well-acquainted with the concept of pain, and her statement seemed to put him off eating any more staplers.

"We're going to need to get you to a hospital," she said realizing that this needed stitches, which was beyond her sparse healing capabilities. She hefted him up on her hip, ready to carry him to the hospital.

As they walked down the street, people couldn't help but stare at this strange duo. After all, it's not every day that you see a nine-year-old girl holding her two-year old brother with blood dripping down his mouth and onto their shirts. But luckily, the hospital is just a block away, and they didn't have to endure the looks shot their way for that long a time.

When they're at the hospital, he got his stitches, and didn't make a sound while it happened. He clenched and unclenched his fist, pinched himself, but he did not allow any noise to come out of his mouth. The doctor found this funny, and told Jason that he was a strong boy, and told Thalia that the stitches would scar.

When they got home, their mother was not, for once, drunk, and was able to see the bandage on his lip and the dried blood on his shirt. "What on Earth happened?!" She shrieked, trying to clean him up. "Tried to eat a stapler," Thalia explained. She scolded Jason for the abject foolishness, but Thalia was delighted- she had actually shown a sign that she cared somewhat for their well-being.

"You know, normally, little boys would cry when they get stitches," Thalia said to him as their mother calmed down, watching as he rubbed the bandage on his upper lip. "Crying is weakness," he said firmly, "I is not weak." Thalia chuckled at this statement, but inwardly, she was bewildered. _What kind of kid says something like that? _She thought. Outwardly, she said, "That's right, Jason," she shifted her weight uncomfortably, "We're strong."

**Author's Note:**

**I was surprised to see so many hits on my first fanfiction- it was great. People from fourteen different countries read it, which was pretty cool, too. However, I would appreciate it if my readers would review. I would love to see what you think of my writing. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I realized that I haven't done these for the other chapters, but I will do it now. I do not own anything related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, any characters or concepts included. All of them belong to Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 3: Abandonment

"We're going to the park today!" Thalia's mother announced.

"What?!" Thalia was stunned- her mother had not made a conscious effort for their entertainment in a very long time. In fact, most of the time, she lay drunk on the floor, unaware of the world around her.

"Yay! The park will be fun," Jason said, "Thalia takes me to the park all the time." It was true- she had taken him to the park before, and lied whenever someone asked where their parents were. "Yes," Mother said, smiling, "Why don't you go and get ready?" While Jason bundled off happily, Thalia watched as her mother's face fell into something akin to misery.

_It's just a trip to the park, _Thalia thought, _what's wrong with that? _She swept away her uneasiness. Maybe she had changed- maybe she had started to care about her children. With this giddy thought, she went to get changed.

The car ride there was mostly filled with the memories of irritation, because Jason had been asking "Are we there yet?" every few seconds. Thalia watched as her mother's knuckles became whiter and whiter on the steering wheel, and every so often looking at Jason in the back seat in the mirror.

It was as if she were trying to memorize his face.

The park that they went to wasn't exactly what Thalia was used to in a park. It was pretty much just a burned out house, and there was no one else there. Something in Thalia's mind screamed at her to get her family and run off, that she was on enemy ground. But Jason looked enthralled by it, and she had to grin and bear it for her little brother.

"Thalia," her mother stopped walking after they had been there for about five minutes. "I forgot the picnic basket in the car. Could you go back and get it?" She handed her the keys. Thalia nodded, then turned around and lightly jogged toward the car.

Lifting the trunk door easily and grabbing the basket, she walked briskly back, hoping that she could still find them.

As she walked back, she heard a curious noise. It took her a while to recognize it, but she did eventually. It was the sound of her mother sobbing. She eventually traced it back to the burned out house, and sprinted there, the picnic basket fallen to the ground and forgotten.

When she reached the clearing where her mother was, she was rocking back and forth on the front steps. Jason was nowhere to be seen.

"Mother," Thalia ran forward and grabbed her mother's shoulders. "Where's Jason?"

Her mother, in response, cried some more. "He's as good as dead," she choked out, "He's dead," Thalia felt as though she had been drowned. She spent the first few minutes screaming in denial, and then when her mother reasserted her statement, broke down and started crying.

This seemed to snap her mother out of a trance, and she was dragged away, kicking and screaming. As soon as her mother dragged her home, she got to the phone, called the police, and called for a missing child alert. The police had a tough time getting anything out of her, she was hysterical and could barely speak in coherent sentences.

But her mother took her away and told the police calmly that there had been a mistake. Her eyes were still rimmed with red, but she hung up. The look in her eyes was all Thalia needed to see. She would be drinking that night.

It turned out that her prediction was correct- her mother was now passed out on the couch, oblivious to the world. Thalia couldn't take it anymore.

_What's the point in living here now?_ Thalia thought as she furiously stuffed some things in a backpack. _Jason's not here for me to protect, because I couldn't do it for him. _She grabbed a fistful of hundred-dollar bills from her mother's abandoned wallet- she wouldn't miss them anyway. What she took wouldn't put a dent in her bank account.

She was running away- from this house, from her mother, from the memories of her little brother. Her mother had sacrificed him- for what? Did Hera threaten her life? Did she simply want to get rid of a child she couldn't take care of?

The thoughts spurred her forwards towards the door as she pulled the Mace can from her pocket and flicked it, watching it turn to a seven-foot long spear. She felt reckless, and she wanted so much to meet a monster and beat it to a pulp.

She slung the backpack over her shoulder and walked out the door, not bothering to leave a note. _Mother _would know exactly why she had left. She knew that Jason was the only thing keeping her with her mother, and since he was gone, it only made sense that she would leave, too.

Years later, when Melinoe took the form of her mother, she felt regret. But when she took her normal form, a hag with no particular fear-inducing properties, she said something that made her feel worse than her mother ever did.

"He's a ghost that's not really dead."

Hope rose up in her throat, only to be pushed down again. Did he even remember her? No, it was just a trick, Melinoe wanted to torment her. But subconsciously, she held onto that hope, that somewhere, her little brother was _alive._

**Thanks for reading the third chapter of ****_Children of Lightning_****! It's longer than my other chapters, but hopefully, you, my readers, like it. Thanks to kit catt luvs Percy j and VirtualViola03 for being my first two reviewers, and to the rest of my readers, please review! I'd love to read what you think of my story.**

**-PheonixCycle**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, any characters or concepts included. All of them belong to Rick Riordan.**

**This is Thalia's Point of View on reuniting with Jason. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 4: Reuniting

She and her group had been stalking Lycaon and his pack for a week now, and now he was attacking a group camping out here. As far as she could tell from the light of the flames that had suddenly burst out from the ground, one was a satyr and the rest were demigods.

She heard the three people arguing, and the werewolf laughing. She notched her bow and signalled to the other girls. It was time for them to act.

She let loose the bowstring, cursing when Lycaon grabbed it instead of letting it hit its target- the werewolf's heart. The other Hunters had hit their marks, but Thalia was satisfied to see that her arrow had left a smoking gash across his hand. She reloaded and shot, grinning when it hit him in the shoulder.

"Curse them!" he shouted, while the rest of his pack retreated. Then he turned and spoke some intelligible words to the group before retreating.

Next to her, the wolves suddenly howled, and she followed them. Somehow, she felt sort of drawn to this group, perhaps because they were both demigods. But she trusted her instincts.

She and her fellow Hunters ran into the cave, and she saw the arrow that had wounded Lycaon, glinting in the dying firelight.

"So close," she muttered. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you." The other Hunters mumbled in agreement and disappeared. She turned towards the group, saying, "We've been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone alright? No one got bit?"

The boy, the blond one, froze at the sound of her voice. She tried to place him. Perhaps she had offended him sometime in the past, back at Camp Half-Blood? She didn't know. But she knew him from somewhere.

"You're her," the girl said, "You're Thalia.

Thalia involuntarily tensed. How had they known her name?

"Do I know you?" She asked suspiciously. She watched the girl take a breath.

"This might be a shock, but-"

"Thalia," the blond boy stepped forward, his voice trembling, saying her name almost like an incantation. "I'm Jason, your brother."

She was lucky she wasn't holding anything at that moment- because if she had, she would dropped it and collapsed. Her brother...Jason...alive. She hadn't thought about those words together since Melinoe's cave. She had tried to quash any hope that she would ever meet him again, for fear of that being crushed. And yet, here he was, right in front of her.

"My gods!" She shouted, rushing forward and gripping his face. "She told me you were dead!" She examined his features, trying to remember the toddler she had last seen him as. "Thank Artemis, it _is_ you. The little scar on your lip- you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!" Unbidden, the memory of a two-year-old version of the boy in front of her, biting his lip at the doctor's, saying that he wasn't weak, entered her mind.

"Seriously?" the Latino boy snorted, but she ignored him. She was on cloud nine.

"Staplers- excellent source of iron," the satyr said, like he approved of Jason's taste.

"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?" Horrible memories surfaced in Thalia's brain- a drunken mother passed out on the ground, her mother hanging up on the police, screaming and crying and denying that her brother was dead.

At the entrance of the cave, one of her wolves barked, telling her that she didn't have much time. She turned back and nodded, but she kept contact with her brother, because she was afraid that this was another trick of the gods and he would disappear.

"My wolf is telling me I don't have much, and she's right. But we _have _to talk. Let's sit." The girl immediately collapsed. The satyr caught her, and Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her?" she noticed that the girl's ankle was crooked and her lips were slightly tinged with blue. "Ah- never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr- he didn't act like any satyr that she'd ever seen. "Don't you know nature healing?"

"Why do you think she looks _this _good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?" Thalia looked at Leo, noticing him for the first time. "You and the satyr," she ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

"Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk." "Humph, fine." Hedge muttered, "Didn't even get to brain anybody." Definitely not like any satyr she'd ever seen. Hedge carried the girl toward the entrance. The boy was about to follow, but Jason called out after him. "Actually man, could you, um, stick around?"

Thalia felt her heart sink. Jason felt scared of her- he didn't remember the girl who'd protected him from their drunken mother, who'd taken hits for him, who was more of a mother to him than a sister.

But the boy grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."

They sat around the fire, and for a few seconds, there was silence. Jason was studying her like he was a time bomb. She sat more casually, as if nothing was bothering her, but her brain was screaming at her, asking why he thought she was dangerous.

The boy took some metal wires out of his pocket and twisted them again. "So...the Hunters of Artemis. The whole 'not dating thing- is that like _always, _or more of a seasonal thing, or what?" Thalia stared at him. What did he _think_?

Jason kicked him in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia...what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?" Thalia wanted to scream at him that he was her only family, and vice versa. No real mother would give up their son to die.

But she held herself together. "Do you remember anything?" she asked.

Jason shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper." Thalia was about to glare at Leo, but the boy cut in quickly, "Which wasn't our fault. Hera stole his memories."

She tensed. Why did all of her problems boil down to that annoying goddess. "Hera? How do you know about that?"

Jason explained everything about their quest- their prophecy, Hera getting imprisoned (which honestly didn't have a problem with), the giant, and their deadline. Leo cut in at random moments, adding in his two cents- how he'd fixed a dragon, controlled fire, and made good tacos. She wasn't sure how that was relevant.

She was okay with almost all the stuff that he mentioned, but when her brother started talking about King Midas, she cursed angrily. "I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said in frustration, "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon- well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been...what, hiding you all these years?"

"I don't know," Jason pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face." She silently thanked Hera for that. Then she looked at the picture. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?" Jason nodded. "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave...I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?"

"Nah," Leo said, "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister." Thalia was starting to get irritated by this guy.

"Jason, when you're dealing with the gods, _nothing _is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She _hates _all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?" Thalia could feel the color drain from her face, and a feeling of dread filled her body. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have...You don't remember- No, of course you don't."

"What?" Jason asked.

"Jason...I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus' eye because she was a television actress, and she _was _beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids." She remembered her room, wallpapered with tabloids. "She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She...she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods...well, they don't hang around."

She could see Jason's face fall as she described their mother. It was awful for her to have to do this, but it was necessary.

"So..." her brother didn't seem to be able to finish the question.

"Jason, you got friends," Leo told him. "How you got a sister. You're not alone." Thalia offered her hand, and Jason took it, holding it almost like a lifeline to his sanity.

She continued telling him how he'd disappeared, and every word she said brought back another painful memory.

When they left each other on the bridge to Aeolus' palace, she only prayed that this separation wouldn't last. The Wolf House would be her next destination, despite all the bad memories.

**This is my longest chapter yet! Thanks to ClearBear, VirtualViola03, and SummerSpirit18 for their reviews, and next chapter will be Jason's point of view of the same chapter.**

**And check out my other story, ****_Expectations, _****though it will never compare to ****_Children of Lightning_****. Honestly, I was kind of sad that I got so many reviews for that one and not so many for CoL. This story, in my opinion, is better written than ****_Expectations_****. But still, read and tell me which one you like better.**

**-PhoenixCycle**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Remembrance

Jason had felt a little thrum of excitement, even as he faced these giant wolves. He didn't know why- after all, who would want to get eaten by a giant man-wolf? But it was a good emotion that he was experiencing at the moment, he was sure of it.

"We should just release the wind spirits," Piper said, emphatic even though she was on the ground, shivering, and holding up a knife that was useless against the werewolf.

"Then we'll have nothing to give to Aeolus," he replied, shaking his head. Now, Leo's fire was dying, and the wolf was laughing. "I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me."

He cursed and dropped to the ground, preparing for hand-to-hand combat. It was crazy, but if he held them off long enough, then the rest of them could escape.

The sound of an arrow ripping through the air reached his ears, and though he should have been dreading another attack, the sense of excitement filled his mind again.

The arrow was caught by Lycaon, and left a smoking gash in his hand. Another arrow flew and caught him in the shoulder, and he cursed loudly.

"Curse them!" he shouted, while the rest of his pack retreated. Then he turned and said, "This isn't over, boy," he said, turning and leaving. Jason released a sigh of relief, and then looked to see if anyone had noticed. No one did.

The howls of wolves registered in his ears, and though he didn't know how, he just knew it- but they were friendly.

A silver wolf entered the cave, howling madly.

"Kill it?" Coach Hedge said, raising his club.

"No, wait." Jason felt grateful to Piper for saying that. It was obvious, to him, that if they hurt the wolves, the owners would not be happy. And that wasn't a good thing.

He was right- moments later; a group of about a half-dozen girls entered the cave behind the wolf.

"So close," the lead girl said, picking up the arrow that Lycaon had caught. Jason's breath hitched in his throat. He was absolutely sure he knew her from somewhere.

"Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you." She waved away the rest of the hunters, and they followed her command. She turned to them.

"We've been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone alright? No one got bit?" She had dark hair, Mediterranean features, and startling blue eyes.

Jason lost his breath. He absolutely knew that this was his sister. Yet he had conflicting emotions about it. On one side, he felt as if she was safety, and on the other, his mind was screaming that she was dangerous. It was only a matter of which side was stronger.

"You're her," Piper said. "You're Thalia."

"Do I know you?" She asked suspiciously. He felt his heart sink- she didn't remember him. But the side of him with common sense told him, _you've been separated for at least a decade, what do you expect?_

"This might be a shock, but-" Piper started.

"Thalia," he cut off Piper. "I'm Jason, your brother."

There was a deathly silence where Jason was afraid that she was going to scream at him that she didn't know him, that he was lying.

Instead she rushed towards him.

"She told me you were dead!" She grabbed his face, examined his features. "Thank Artemis, it _is_ you. The little scar on your lip- you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

The thought came unbidden to his mind- a woman, hysterical as he rubbed his upper lip and blood dripped from his mouth, and a younger version of the girl in front of him protecting him. Then, just as fast, the memory disappeared.

"Seriously?" Leo said, as Jason resisted the urge to rub his temples.

"Staplers- excellent source of iron," Coach Hedge commented, as if saying he had made a good choice. Jason resisted the urge to say that anything he approved of wasn't exactly on Jason's to-do list.

"W-wait." He didn't understand. "Who told you I was dead? What happened to our family?" She didn't answer, just stared at him.

At the entrance, the wolf barked, and Thalia turned and nodded it. Jason noticed that she still held onto his face.

"My wolf is telling me I don't have much, and she's right. But we _have _to talk. Let's sit." Piper collapsed on the ground, and he wanted so much to rush over and pick her up.

"What's wrong with her?" Thalia asked. "Ah- never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She turned to Hedge, raising an eyebrow accusingly. "Don't you know nature healing?"

"Why do you think she looks _this _good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?" Jason suddenly felt a surge of anger toward Hedge, but shoved them down.

Thalia turned to Hedge. "You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

"It's cold out there!" Hedge complained, "I'll freeze my horns off." Jason knew that she wanted to talk to him alone, but he wasn't sure whether he could stand it.

"Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk." Leo said, looking almost disappointed.

"Humph, fine." Hedge complained. "Didn't even get to brain anybody." Jason resisted the urge to hit the satyr. _If he wants some violence, _he thought in irritation, _I'll give it to him._

They turned to go, but Jason found himself calling out after Leo.

"Actually man, could you, um, stick around?" He felt weak, needing emotional support from his friend to face his own sister. He was confused, and as much as he hated it, he needed a constant, and right now, that was Leo.

"Sticking around is my specialty." Leo grinned, and Jason felt more confident. For a few seconds, there was an awkward silence, where he stared at her, because he was unsure of what to make of her, Thalia studied him in a stunned manner, and Leo sat awkwardly between them.

"So...the Hunters of Artemis," Leo said slowly, breaking the silence. "The whole 'not dating thing- is that like _always, _or more of a seasonal thing, or what?" Jason kicked him in the shin. What did he think he was doing? Jason inwardly seethed, but defended him anyway from Thalia's sure anger, or at least annoyance.

"Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia...what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?" An ugly look crossed Thalia's face, but it passed so quickly he wasn't sure whether it was really there.

"Do you remember anything?" She asked him, tugging on the silver bracelet on her wrist.

He shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper." He could tell that Thalia was thinking that it was their fault, and would not be happy with his friend. He was about to explain, but Leo beat him to it.

"Which wasn't our fault. Hera stole his memories." Leo quickly intervened.

Thalia tensed. "Hera? How do you know about that?" Jason explained everything, from the beginning. It felt good to spill everything, even though he had felt that he couldn't just say it to anyone. But this was his _sister_. Leo added all the tiny details, even some irrelevant ones, which Jason couldn't help but smile at. Thalia obviously wasn't impressed, but Leo seemed to be okay with being rejected before he was even asked.

She seemed to be okay with everything they had done so far, but she cursed when they mentioned Midas (he refused to call him "King")

"I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said angrily. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon- well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been...what, hiding you all these years?" Jason wasn't sure- after all, he couldn't remember anything.

"I don't know," he admitted, "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face." He felt like an idiot, but he pulled the photo out of his pocket. What kind of sentimental wimp kept a picture of their sister in their pocket? But it seemed to do the trick, because her face softened.

"I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?" He nodded in response, and she smiled.

"I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave...I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?" He waited for the ridicule, the calling out at this display of weakness, of indiscipline.

"Nah," Leo said, "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister." Jason felt another surge of protectiveness towards his older sister, even though she probably could kick Leo's butt. But Thalia ignored him, so he did too.

"Jason, when you're dealing with the gods, _nothing _is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She _hates _all children of Zeus." He got the vague idea that she was wrong, that Juno, or Hera, tolerated him, even favored him. But he kept his mouth shut.

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?" He tried, but stopped when her face whitened. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have...You don't remember- No, of course you don't."

"What?" He didn't have any idea what she was talking about.

"Jason...I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus' eye because she was a television actress, and she _was _beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids." Jason was stunned. He'd wanted to believe that her mother was a good woman, a good mother. But according to his sister, she wasn't.

"She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She...she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods...well, they don't hang around." So basically both his parents weren't there for him. _So who was?_ He thought.

"So..." But he could not finish the question. Thalia offered him her hand, and he took it, taking comfort in her grip.

"Jason, you got friends," Leo assured him. "Now you got a sister. You're not alone." He knew that- and he felt exhilarated in the fact that we had a family.

**Sorry for the long wait for an update! I've been really busy. But I really hope that I'll be able to update soon- just one chapter left. I'm starting a new project, called ****_SPQR, _****basically the Roman's (Jason, Hazel, and Frank) point of view of the ****_Mark of Athena._**** It should be out by Wednesday, August 21****st****, 2013. So check that out and review this story!**

**Out of curiousity, how old do you think I am? (I'm not going to tell you, I'm just wondering.)**

**-PhoenixCycle**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Blessing

**Sorry for not updating for so long! It felt awful leaving you fans (if I have any) alone. **

**This is the final installment of ****_Children of Lightning. _****It will be about Jason meeting Juno for the first time, and is based on the comment in the previous chapter. Initially, I was going to the battle in the Wolf House in Thalia's point of view, but Jason's point of view wouldn't leave me. So, voila! Here this is.**

**This is dedicated to SummerSpirit18, my number one reviewer.**

Jason sighed in his bunk in the Fifth Cohort and rolled over. He was now eight years old, and had spent five years in the legion- longer than most of the teenagers who were twice his age. He was an excellent fighter, especially for one his age, and when he had been claimed by Jupiter the year before, he had been delighted. Of course, he knew who his father was, but it felt good for Jupiter to acknowledge him. He followed all the rules, had all the procedures memorized, and could speak Latin fluently.

In short, he was the perfect Roman soldier.

Still, he was tense; worried about something that no one was sure when it would come. And knowing the goddess' nature, it was only a matter of time before it happened. Even some of the legionnaires had commented on it, teasing him, wondering aloud when _the_ calamity would happen.

Juno, his father's wife, would strike against her husband's illegitimate child.

Of course, Jason didn't blame her. Even at his young age, he understood his father's sin. And he also knew that it wasn't Jupiter's first time with Jason's mother. He pulled a photograph out of his pocket, a well-worn piece of paper that he always kept with him, folded and unfolded many times. A girl, about eleven years old, stared up back at him.

Thalia Grace, his sister. Now, most of his fellow legionnaires laughed at him for carrying this picture. They said that, in his search for family as a young boy, he had picked up a photo of a random girl and claimed it as his sister. But he was absolutely sure of it.

He even had memories of her, and much more faded memories of their mother. The older woman screaming at him, while blood trickled down from his lip; his mother passed out on the floor, a bottle in her hand- he had no positive memories of his mother.

Jason sighed and walked to his father's temple. He had never met him, apart from some barely-there memories of his father speaking Latin to him. For all intents and purposes, he had never had a true family- if he was asked to draw a picture of his family; he would draw his weapons, and Thalia. That was it.

When he got to the temple, lightning was crackling over it, and Jason groaned. Not that he hated lightning- he was a natural with it, in fact- but that meant that Octavian was inside. The pompous auger was two years older than him and had just joined- and spent more time in his Jupiter's temple than Jason did.

He was used to having this place as a private area, maybe because he felt closer to his father. But since Octavian had started doing auguries there, it had felt like the space had been invaded, and Jason seldom went there anymore. Who would?

But Jason was confident that at least his father favored him over the bratty augur. He threw the doors open with his seven-year-old hands, already calloused from years of training.

"Out, Octavian!" He shouted, hoping to inject some sort of confidence and authority into his voice.

"I'm offended that you would confuse me for that fool of an augur." Jason froze. It was not Octavian's nasal voice that he heard- it was a woman's voice, filled with authority. He turned slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements- he had no idea who this mysterious woman was.

She was tall, pale, and dark-haired. She held a staff in her hand, and a light crown was woven into her hair. A goatskin cloak was draped over her shoulders. Jason recognized her instantly, and his heart filled with fear.

"Lady Juno!" He gasped, and fell to his knees. He trembled slightly, waiting for a killing blow.

"Rise, my champion," Juno chuckled. "It is so refreshing to see a child of Jupiter giving respect to me. You are much better than your sister in this aspect, I assure you. Thalia... ah, she is so much like her father."

"She's real," Jason breathed. A rush of warmth flooded through him.

"Of course. But I am here to talk to _you_.

"Why me?" Jason said boldly. "Are you here to kill me? If you are, don't do it in a round-about way. Just fry me to ashes."

Juno laughed again. "I will not kill you, Jason Grace. After all, you are my champion, and I am your patron."

"What do you mean?" Jason was intrigued. Did this mean that Juno, the scourge of all children of Jupiter, actually _liked _him?

"Your father gave your service to me as a child to placate me for his unfaithfulness. He would have chosen Thalia, but I wanted you. You are a faithful Roman, and I knew he favored her more, though you are his son."

Jason felt a rush of pride in his abilities take over. "Thanks," he murmured.

"I come bearing a gift, as I do not have much time," she continued. She opened his palm and pressed a coin in his hand, a gold piece with Julius Caesar on one side and a battle-axe on the other. The inscription under the face read "Julius" in Latin- the "i" instead of a "j" and a "v" instead of a "u". He turned it over in his palm.

"Flip it," she commanded, and he did as he was told. As he caught it, a sword appeared in his hand, well-balanced, and pure imperial gold. He stared at it in awe- though it was slightly too heavy for him to carry, he could wield it.

"When it lands on tails, it will turn into a lance," Juno added, "and to turn it back into a coin, flip either weapon." Jason nodded in comprehension. "Use this weapon wisely." She smiled slightly at him, the corners of her mouth tilting up.

And then she disappeared.

Jason walked out of the temple, gazing at his newfound weapon. He had not been killed by a vengeful wife, as he had predicted. He had been blessed, and had been given a favor. He had been assured of the reality of his family. He was elated.

"Hey Sparky," Dakota, using his old nickname called out. "What's with the new sword?" "It was a gift!" Jason shouted back. "From who?" Dakota took a swig from his Kool-Aid.

"From Juno!" Jason grinned. Dakota dropped his canister of the red, sweet, liquid. "You're joking," he said. "But I thought Juno hated all sons of Jupiter."

"She said she was my patron, and that my father gave me to her when I was a baby," Jason explained. "What do you think it means?"

"Nothing good," Dakota shook his head. "That probably means you have some big destiny in the future. I'd be careful if I were you."

Jason wasn't listening. But he kept the sword with him almost everywhere, as a sign of Juno's favor. He knows how unique his situation is.

Years later, when he breaks his sword, he gets a new one, also from Juno. And he remembers Dakota's words. His destiny is around the corner, with his friends and his family.

**And so ends my first multi-chaptered fanfiction. I hoped that those who followed it had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I am always open to critique, so please send me some, and I will reply.**

**For those reading ****_SPQR_****, I will be posting a new chapter soon; maybe even two in one go. I haven't had much time to work with it.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-PhoenixCycle**


End file.
